The Senate Select Committee on the Administration of Indigenous Affairs After ATSIC - Life in the mainstream? March 2005 © Commonwealth of Australia ISBN 0 642 71501 7 Senate Select Committee on the Administration of Indigenous Affairs Secretariat Jonathan Curtis, Secretary Ian Holland, Principal Research Officer Alison Kelly, Principal Research Officer Timothy Watling, Senior Research Officer Barbara Rogers, Executive Assistant Sharon Babyack, Executive Assistant Cath Drinkwater, Executive Assistant The Senate Parliament House CANBERRA ACT 2600 Telephone: (02) 6277 3419 Facsimile: (02) 6277 5706 Email: [email protected] Internet: http://www.aph.gov.au/indigenousaffairsctte This document was produced by the Senate Select Committee on the Administration of Indigenous Affairs Secretariat and printed by the Senate Printing Unit, Parliament House, Canberra. iii Members of the Committee Senators for the 40th Parliament Senator Trish Crossin (ALP) (NT) (Chair) Senator David Johnston (LP) WA (Deputy Chair) Senator Bill Heffernan (LP) NSW Senator Jan McLucas (ALP) QLD Senator Kerry Nettle (AG) NSW Senator Kerry O'Brien (ALP) TAS Senator Aden Ridgeway (AD) NSW Senator Nigel Scullion (CLP) NT Senators for the 41st Parliament Senator Claire Moore (ALP) (QLD) (Chair) Senator David Johnston (LP) WA (Deputy Chair) Senator Kim Carr (ALP) (VIC) Senator Trish Crossin (ALP) (NT) Senator Bill Heffernan (LP) NSW Senator Kerry Nettle (AG) NSW Senator Aden Ridgeway (AD) NSW Senator Nigel Scullion (CLP) NT v TABLE OF CONTENTS Members of the Committee ........................................................................ iii Summary of recommendations...................................................................vii Acronyms.....................................................................................................xi Preface........................................................................................................xv CHAPTER 1................................................................................................ 1 Introduction........................................................................................................................1 Background to the inquiry.............................................................................................1 Overview of Government reforms to the administration of Indigenous affairs .....1 Criticism of government processes ..............................................................................5 Conduct of the inquiry ...................................................................................................9 Structure of the report ....................................................................................................9 Assistance with the inquiry .........................................................................................10 CHAPTER 2.............................................................................................. 11 Evolution of ATSIC ........................................................................................................11 Overview of ATSIC.....................................................................................................11 ATSIC history and development ................................................................................16 Reviews of Indigenous affairs ....................................................................................21 ATSIC's performance...................................................................................................28 Conclusion.....................................................................................................................41 CHAPTER 3.............................................................................................. 45 The effects of the ATSIC Amendment Bill................................................................45 Introduction...................................................................................................................45 Transfer of ATSIC assets and intellectual property.................................................45 Changes to the Office of Evaluation and Audit........................................................47 Changes affecting the Indigenous Land Corporation and Indigenous Business Australia.........................................................................................................................49 Implications for Native Title Representative Bodies...............................................54 Consulting with Indigenous Australians....................................................................55 CHAPTER 4.............................................................................................. 59 Representation.................................................................................................................59 The Government's proposed reforms .........................................................................59 National representation................................................................................................60 Indigenous representation and the role of government............................................66 Regional representation ...............................................................................................69 The National Indigenous Council...............................................................................73 Representation of Torres Strait Islanders ..................................................................75 CHAPTER 5 .........................................................................................................................77 Mainstreaming of service delivery..............................................................................77 Introduction...................................................................................................................77 Old problems – the need for a new approach............................................................78 'New' mainstreaming ....................................................................................................82 Government policy for the new administrative arrangements................................85 Rationale for mainstreaming .......................................................................................86 Issues with mainstreaming ..........................................................................................89 Conclusion and recommendation ............................................................................ 110 Australian Democrats supplementary comments.....................................113 Australian Greens – additional comments................................................121 Minority report by Government Members...............................................127 APPENDIX 1............................................................................................135 Submissions Received.................................................................................................. 135 APPENDIX 2............................................................................................147 Witnesses who have appeared before the Committee at public hearings....... 147 APPENDIX 3............................................................................................163 Tabled Documents ....................................................................................................... 163 Summary of recommendations Recommendation 1.1 ................................................................................... 8 1.27 The Committee accordingly recommends that the government affirms formally that ATSIC’s powers remain in force until the date of proclamation of the relevant legislation, and that decisions taken in accordance with the law up to that date are recognised and implemented. Recommendation 3.1 ................................................................................. 47 3.11 The Committee recommends that all assets controlled by ATSIC continue to be applied to the benefit of Indigenous Australians, and that Indigenous people retain custody of Indigenous artworks and artefacts. Recommendation 3.2 ................................................................................. 51 3.27 The Committee recommends that ILC's capacity to manage its portfolio of properties be monitored by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Native Title as part of its statutory scrutiny role of the ILC. In the event that ATSIC and its regional councils are abolished, the ordinary members of the ILC Board include an Indigenous representative nominated by a relevant Indigenous organisation. Recommendation 3.3 ................................................................................. 53 3.42 The Committee recommends that the Bill be amended to provide appeals to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal in cases where IBA refuses a business loan. The Committee also recommends that the Government examine all new requirements that the Bill and related administrative changes impose on the IBA to ensure that these do not have a negative impact on its operation. Recommendation 3.4 ................................................................................. 54 3.46 The Committee recommends that the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Native Title carefully examine the issue of conflict of interest in the funding of Native Title Representative Bodies as part of its current inquiry into Native Title